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Books, Reports and Articles - G Entries

center on wealth and philantrhopy

"Gentle as Doves and Wise as Serpents: The Philosophy of Care and the Sociology of Transmission."
Paul G. Schervish. Introduction to Care and Community in Modern Society: Passing on the Tradition of Service to Future Generations, edited by Paul G. Schervish, Virginia A. Hodgkinson, and Margaret Gates. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,1995. 1-16.
This book explores several related topics such as how individuals become dedicated to care; the importance of civic, ethical, and spiritual traditions; the involvement of children and youth as providers of care; the institutions, here and abroad, that infuse care into daily life; and the productive role of self-interest, properly understood, in mobilizing care and service to the community.

"Geography and Generosity: Boston and Beyond."
Paul Schervish and John J. Havens. Boston, Mass: Boston Foundation, 2005.
In September 2004, with funding form the Boston Foundation, the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College began a two-year study, Geography and Generosity: Boston and Beyond, focusing on individual generosity for regions, states, and metropolitan areas across the United States. This publication reports on the first year of research.

"Geography and Giving: The Culture of Philanthropy in New England and the Nation"

John J. Havens and Paul G. Schervish. The Boston Foundation. Published June 2007. The wealthiest Massachusetts residents give much more of their income to charities than wealthy people in the rest of the country, according to a new report on charitable giving by Boston College's Center on Wealth and Philanthropy. Download Paper (PDF)

"Gifts and Bequests: Family or Philanthropic Organizations?" Paul G. Schervish and John J. Havens. In Alicia Munnell and Annika Sunden, (eds.), Death and Dollars, Brookings Press, 2003.
This paper presents an alternative paradigm to economic models of transfers, one which we have developed from our extensive ethnographic and survey research on charitable giving and which we call the identification theory. The identification theory suggests that it is self-identification with others and with the needs of others, (rather than selflessness) that motivates transfers to individuals and to philanthropic organizations and that leads givers to derive satisfaction from fulfilling those needs. The allocation of transfers to family and philanthropy, we have found, is not so much a division between individuals and philanthropic organizations, as it is an allocation of transfers across an array of perceived needs, which combines both the needs of individuals, including family and friends, and needs served by philanthropic organizations. Moreover, the allocation is less a single conscious decision than a process imbedded in daily life experiences.

"Giving and Getting: Philanthropy as a Social Relation."
Susan A. Ostrander and Paul G. Schervish. In Critical Issues in American Philanthropy: Strengthening Theory and Practice, edited by Jon Van Til. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990. 67-98. This paper explains firstly what we mean by this understanding of philanthropy as social relation. We differentiate philanthropy from two other kinds of social relations, commercial transactions and electoral politics. We lay out an array of strategies that the two major parties in the relation-donors and recipients-use to gain the attention and favorable response of the other. Finally, we consider briefly some implications of our conceptualization of philanthropy and the strategies for philanthropic practices.

John J. Havens and Paul G. Schervish. Trusts & Estates. Published January 2009. Given the economic turmoil the United States is facing, this article seeks to articulate how the current economy will affect the philanthropic sector.Download Paper (PDF)

"The Golden Age of Philanthropy?"
Estimates of the much anticipated "wealth transfer" in this country have been a topic of conversation in the nonprofit and financial worlds for years--and the numbers are staggering. By the year 2055 some $41 trillion will change hands as Americans pass their accumulated assets from one generation to the next. What kind of impact will this great wealth transfer have on the Greater Boston area? How might it affect the area's philanthropic and nonprofit sectors? Is there a way to prepare for this phenomenon that will enhance the potential for personal satisfaction on the part of wealth holders--and benefit the community as a whole? Learn more by following the links below.

"Gospels of Wealth: How the Rich Portray their Lives".
Paul G. Schervish, Platon Coutsoukis, and Ethan Lewis. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 1994.
Twelve first-person narratives by the wealthy about their lives drawn from the interviews conducted for the "Study on Wealth and Philanthropy." In addition to the transcripts, the book contains an introductory essay on "The Wealthy and the World of Wealth," a short thematic introduction to each narrative, and a concluding essay on interpreting autobiographical narratives.